THE PUBLIC MIND: IF BOND ISSUES FAIL, IT WOULD BE WRONG TO BLAME THE LOSS ON CAPE'S SENIOR CITIZENS

To the Editor:

After reading some of the items in your newspaper's Speak Out column, I think it is time to explain some facts to the younger citizens of Cape Girardeau. I hope they will then realize how wrong they are to maintain that senior citizens do not support the upcoming school bond issue.

A number of the Speak Out items were very much out of line and it was evident that the persons calling them in were not knowledgeable about the topics they were discussing.

First, the 5-cent property tax approved by voters in April 1991 was to fund services to the elderly in all of Cape County. It did NOT provide money to construct the new senior center within the City of Cape Girardeau. Money for the new center is being raised through donations from businesses, organizations and individuals, as well as in-house fund raisers such as bake sales, dances, etc.

It would be too lengthy to list all of the allocations from the Senior Citizens' Services Fund tax, but some area agencies receiving monies as listed in past newspaper ~articles are:

Cape County Health Department to pay the salary for a nurse's assistant for an in-home care program.

St. Francis Medical Center to develop a lending resources library on Alzheimer's Disease.

Senior Learning Program at SEMO University to offset costs of a fitness program and a small van to transport senior citizens to these fitness programs.

Eldercare Center for a bus to pickup and deliver residents to and from their homes in order for them to spend time at the center.

Southeast Missouri Hospital Home Health to operate a short-term, intensive in-home care program.

Lutheran Family Services to develop an in-home counseling service for the elderly.

Missouri Veterans Home to purchase a chair-lift van.

Area Agency on Aging to purchase a van and cover costs of providing meals to homebound seniors in the northern part of Cape County (from Jackson Senior Center.)

Cape Senior Center to purchase a van and cover costs of providing meals to homebound seniors in the southern part of Cape County.

Retired Senior Volunteers Program to recruit and train seniors to be volunteers to visit the homebound and other activities.

Cape County Transit to purchase a new van to replace a worn out vehicle.

There are other services to seniors funded through the 5-cent property tax, but no allocation is for construction of the senior center.

Secondly, these younger citizens need to think about the schools we now have in Cape Girardeau. How did they get built? Who paid the taxes to build them?

The answer is that "We, the senior citizens of today" built most of these schools. True, May Greene, Washington, Franklin and Schultz may have been paid for (at least in part) by our parents.

But the current senior citizens paid the taxes to build Clippard, Alma Schrader, Jefferson, Junior High and Central High, as well as the new physical education facility and swimming pool at Central High School.

Many seniors I know say they will support this school bond issue because they wish their grandchildren to have good schools. Many attended these older schools and know they are in poor condition and need replacing. Some say they will vote "yes" because they feel they can afford the taxes better than some younger parents with children. There may be some seniors, especially those living on Social Security alone~, who cannot afford to vote for this issue. They express concern that state and f~ederal governments have said they want raise taxes partially for education.

Many younger voters I know say they will vote for the issue. But some I know with several children and low-paying jobs say they cannot afford the added tax.

If this bond issue fails, it will be because of a combination of factors, including some action or lack of action by the school board and school authorities.

But, it would be very wrong to say it is the fault of the senior citizens.~~~~~

Mrs. L.R. Hinck

Cape Girardeau